A Favor
by MercyFrost
Summary: Jimmy returns after Oliver and Chloe discover that their marriage is invalid. Romance begins to return to Oliver and Tess's relationship. Please reveiw!
1. Found

In this it turns out that Oliver and Chloe's marriage was invalid. Tess did 'die' but came back. Oliver basically feel apart. So Chloe decided to break it off. ...

_Tess_

Why am I so nervous? He was a former employee. Well, I suppose, it could be that this man could be the only thing that could bring Chloe out of the funk she's been in for the past, well, awhile.

But, logic cuts in, as it usually does, at least for me, she'll never know If I don't bring him back, and if I don't tell her, she'll never know. Should I just leave?

No, you owe her this, remember, even if she didn't _fully_ trust me, she did at least a little bit throughout those two, extremely shaky years. If you can call that trust. Ok, so it wasn't trust, but it was the closest thing I had had to it during that time. So, you owe her, big time.

And, after Oliver and her called it quits she drowned herself in Watchtower. Which, granted, is exactly what I would've done, but that doesn't stop me from being worried. As i should be. I'm starting to think that she's sleeping there. Which can't be healthy, considering there's nothing but old take-out in the refrigerator. That's it, she needs this.

And staring at this door isn't going to solve anything. I knock three, rhythmic times. A man, nerdy, with reddish-brown hair, in a sweater vest and bow-tie answers the door. I think silently to myself, she can do so much better. But, what are you going to do? Can't help who you fall for, right? You should know, considering who you're in love with.

"Ms. Mercer...," he stutters. He's shocked. Obviously, he's shocked. His former boss, archenemy to his girlfriend/ex-wife/fiancée, (depending on how you want to look at it) is standing in his doorway after he supposedly died. Even I'll admit that has to be confusing. "Mr. Olsen," I regard him in that cool, confident manner, that people have come to associate me with. Especially my employees, or _ex-_employees, in this case.


	2. Update

How did she find me? Why did she find me? She's, like, evil No, she's not like evil. She is evil. And scary, very, very scary.

If I come back because of Tess Mercer, Chloe will never talk to me again. How would you feel if you. Came back because of your girlfriend-ish's enemy instead of you. Because they hate each other, alot. More then anyone else I've ever seen.

Collecting my wits, I say " Come in, Ms. Mercer." I'm too scared to address her any less then formally. "Jimmy, I'm not your boss anymore, it's Tess," she replies, with a hint of humor? That's something new. She's never been funny, ever. She's never tried, I don't think. If she has I haven't seen it. And if I should've, then she's really humorless. Sadly humorless.

And telling, definately not asking, she never asks, me to call her Tess, what's that about? She's not _Tess_. She's Miss Mercer. " OK, then," I give in, simply because I don't know how else to respond. Saying no to her is suicide. Remember Bill from the copy room? Exactly.

She notices a picture of me and Chloe. Man, I should have put that away, not that I knew she was coming, or I had time. I had no logical reason for putting that away so I should just stop. It's a good picture. I've got my arm around Chloe's shoulders and she's leaning into me. I miss her.

"Jimmy, I'll keep it short. I know your wondering why, me of all people, I'm here," she cuts in. It's true. Why is she here? What would Tess Mercer want with me? "Don't take this the wrong way, but aren't you like evil?" Because there's no way to take that the wrong way. Just because you think it doesn't mean you have to say it out loud, Olsen. She laughs, I guess that'd be how you respond to that. I wouldn't know. I would've stared at them and/or kicked them out.

"No, I'm a 'good guy', as you or Clark would say. And more importantly, I know about Clark." Now, that's how you drop a bomb. Tess Mercer knows about Clark/Superman/Blur! How do you even say something that calmly. I guess it wasn't recently that she found out.

"But that's not why I'm here," she says. Of course not, the biggest news I've heard all day couldn't possibly be why she's here. Forget all day, all year. "Chloe's going through a...rough time, lately. She needs someone she can depend on. And I believe that the only person she'll lean on, is you," Tess says, and that by far is the most sentimental thing I've ever heard her say. It's kind of weird. Chloe's name brings a twisting to my gut. "I'm trying to be a friend to her but I can't seem to help," she confesses.

That's weird. Them? Friends? No way. "Last I checked you two hated each other," I retort, a tad bit harshly, I'll admit but talking about Chloe hurts. I sigh. I really shouldn't have said that. She doesn't seem hurt, though. I should apologize anyway.

"Sorry, it's just, it's been _four_ years," I say. "I know that. Why?," she explains almost like I'm a second grader. What does she mean why? That's the most ridiculous question I've ever heard. But, she seems genuinely interested, possibly even with a touch of concern? But the question is ridiculous. "What do you mean why?," I ask, softening a bit because I snapped earlier. She smiles. I'm genuinely afraid of that smile. "Why has it been four years?," she says. Ok, she has me stumped. What good could this information possibly do her. she never wants to know anything that doesn't eventually benefit her. I'll probably regret this later but, I say "I had amnesia for three years, by that point I thought it was too late. That she wouldn't want me back."


	3. It's Him

It's simple. Oliver and I didn't work. We both know why. It's fairly simple, both love someone else. He still loves Tess. I still love Jimmy. Jimmy. I miss him. This is where he would walk in, come up to me from behind, hold me and watch me work at the same time. I never actually got any work done like that, but it was comforting, and I loved it. He did that when I worked at Isis.

"Welcome, Ms. Mercer," watchtower greets the cocky smart aleck. "And guest," watchtower finishes. Guest? Who could she possibly have brought? Who would she have brought, is a better question. She knows better then to bring anyone to watchtower. Has she _finally_ lost it? "It's fine, Chloe," she reassures me. It doesn't work. "Tess, you want to explain," knowing full well that she knows exactly what I'm talking about. "Come and see for yourself," I hate it when she's cryptic. And believe me, she's cryptic a lot.

I walk down the staircase, ready to pull out a scowl at a moments notice. I don't have to. In fact I do the opposite. The look on my face is one of pure joy. I run down those stairs so quickly that a roadrunner would have been bug-eyed. "Jimmy!," I exclaim. I launch my launch myself into his arms full force. I feel his arms around me and I just stay there. "Chloe," he mutters my name with such affection that i've never heard from anyone. Then, I realize that Tess is standing there. She really unintentionally (i guess) messes with my love life. I pull away. "Jimmy, how?," I manage to sputter out.

He explains quite simply, " I don't know, seriously. All I know is that woke up in frankenstein's lab without a single memory," he states in that simple way that I love so much. Tess doesn't seem to appreciate simplicity the way I do, or maybe she does, just not in this case. That's why she inquired, "You don't know who owned the lab?" "No," he replied,"but the name Cadmus was plastered on everything."


	4. Cadmus

Darn it, Cadmus brought Jimmy back.

Darn it, Luthorcorp. owns Cadmus.

He could be bugged. But, hold on, 4 years ago I owned Luthorcorp. How did I miss this? Better question, what would Cadmus want with an out of work photographer? Unless... "Jimmy, close your eyes!" "What?," he replies. I look over at Chloe, she's pale as a sheet of paper, not going to be much help. "I know it sounds crazy, but you really have to listen to me," I speak in the slow, soothing voice that's used on armed criminals.

Chloe snaps back to reality. "Jimmy, listen to her she's right," she says in the same voice I was using. Even though I doubt she knows why i'm asking him to close his eyes. But,he warily does as requested. "May I ask why my eyes are closed, and you guys are talking like that?" "We'll explain later," Chloe soothes. "Stop talking like that," he snaps, which frankly surprises me.

If Lex is watching everything, then we have to get him out of here, now. "Lex, he's not going to open his eyes," I say, confidant again. Jimmy inquires, "Lex?" "Jimmy," I say, "trust me. I'm going to take you back to your apartment," I state, leaving no room for question. "Chloe," I whisper. I gesturing for her to come over to me. I whisper,"There's a possibility that Lex has implanted a microchip in Jimmy's brain, allowing full access to Jimmy's eyes and ears." The look of shock on her face is undeniable. " I need you to see if you can trace back the signal to the receiving server and sever the connection," I say. "I can do that," she whispers back.


	5. The Drive

The drive home was silent, ghostly silent. I think Tess wanted it that way, but that didn't make it any less awkward, and I hate awkward, I really, really hate awkward. And I'm really bad with it. I try to start conversations, and I'm generally pretty awkward when I do. I wouldn't want to be in an elevator with me.

Tess drops me off. She doesn't say anything. But, that's ok, because I don't trust her, I never did. She was always so vague and devious. Which, in Jimmy-world, is evil. When she told me to close my eyes, I could have sworn she was going to hit me over the head with an anvil, or something. I know not good of me, very untrusting. But, I couldn't help it. Consider yourself lucky I didn't get into fetal position.

But, Chloe seems to trust her. I guess, that's enough for me. But, I don't have to be happy about it and I'm not letting my guard down. Because that wouldn't be smart.

But neither of them will tell me anything, why? Tess, I get. But, Chloe, we tell each other everything. Besides the Clark-secret, but that's different. She was protecting me, then. Maybe that's what she's doing now. Maybe that's why she won't explain anything. That makes sense.

What has got Tess Mercer so afraid? I mean she's so fearless and intimidating, herself. Her name is feared. I bet if I walked into some gang's meeting and told them I was Tess's agent that they'd bow to me or something. I know for a fact that she's had to kill someone in her life. So her being afraid of something makes absolutely no sense.

Why did Tess start talking to Lex? I'm sure he wasn't in the room. That'd be weird. why would my eyes be closed if he was there. Yeah, that makes no sense. Maybe he called. I didn't hear a phone, though. The phone was on vibrate. Didn't hear that either. It was on silent? Not likely, how would Tess know it was ringing then? She wouldn't. Besides they both hate Lex. They would never pick up the phone.

Life would be so much simpler with answers. Why won't they give them to me?


	6. Distraction

I can't talk to my supposedly dead ex-husband for five minutes without something traumatic happening. Eyes and ears for Lex Luthor, seriously? Come on Lex Luthor! You've got to be kidding me! It's definitely not on the list of top ten things I'd like to happen

My phone starts ringing, beeping, whatever you want to call it. Good, I really, really need a distraction. The name Tess Mercer flashes on the screen. That's not going to do it, but I'be got to answer it because she knows that I'm perfectly free enough to. And she'll make me regret it later.

I pick up the phone and press the accept button. "Hey," I say, even I have to admit, it came out rather snippily.

"Someone sounds cheery," she replies sarcastically. I'm constantly amazed at her constant expectancy if people to keep calm, no matter the situation. You can be upset, or cry, but you can't get angry because "when you're angry you don't think straight." Quote on quote, that's what she says. Of course, she expects the same of herself. She's no hypocrite. It's fairly impressive that She's able to do it, all the time.

"Well, all things considered..., " I say nonetheless. "I don't think I even have to say it, do I?," she sighs. No, she doesn't, she really doesn't. I've heard it enough times. " I've been thinking, I'm not entirely sure that it's Lex." What? That's crazy. I reply quickly,"Cadmus is owned by Lex, Tess, I don't know how much more proof we need."

Honestly, I can't imagine where she's going with this. I guess I should hear her out, after all she is usually right, at least when it comes to conspiracy theories. I'm pretty sure she's been involved n a couple of them.

"I'll call Lois, Clark, and Oliver," she backtracks," we'll talk about this when get there." Ok, then. "Ok, see you in five," I say. I know full well she won't let this theory go, but who else could it be?


	7. Heart to heart

_Tess_

Checkmate.

Luthorcorp. and Checkmate co-own Cadmus. Which, makes sense, because Waller, head of Checkmate, hates me even more then Lex does. And, that's a lot, considering, he tried to kill me eight months ago.

I should call Oliver, Lois, and Clark. But Clark never picks up his phone so I call Lois, hoping that they're together, and let's face it, it's not exactly a long shot. I dial her number. "Tess." The way she says my name makes it sound like the most depressing word in the dictionary. "Good to talk to you too, Lois." Frankly I have no problem mocking Lois, it's one of the only ways we communicate. It's the only way we communicate."Meet me at watchtower," I command. I forgot, we also command each other. Not that we listen without a reasonable explanation. "Is this important? I have a lot of stories that I really need to get done, that and I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now," she insults. "Are you ever.," I quip,"yes, it's fairly important." She simply replies,"We''ll be there in five... seconds. I smile out of the corner of gym mouth and hang up.

Next I dial Oliver. "Hey, Mercy." My heart skips a beat at his voice. I hate that it does that, I hate that he makes it do that. "Oliver, I've told you numerous times _not_ to call me that," I say. And that's the truth, it's only a lie if I say I don't like it. "Come on, I know you love it," he persists.

I ignore him. "You have to meet me at Watchtower. Lois and Clark are on their way and Chloe's already there," I say, my voice not betraying the emotions that he makes me feel. But, I ignore them, too. "Chloe?," his voice, however, does. I understand that they haven't talked since the break-up, but I never expected it to get in the way of 'work', as we all have come to call it. "I think you to will be more willing to talk to each other after today," I reply, rather smugly. "What are you going to sit us down and make us talk it out?," he replies. No, because that would hurt me more then it'd be awkward for them. But instead I say, "No, just meet me there."

I pull up to watchtower. Now, the next step, calming Chloe down. I walk through the doors, go through the 553 layers of security. Not literally, but it feels like it. "Chloe, you want to sit down so we can talk about this," I question. "No, I have to trace the server back," she says, determined. I knew I shouldn't have asked her to start tracing the server, but I wanted to get a head start. Though, I should've known better then to let Chloe start. I should've known she wouldn't stop. I argue with myself, all to often.

"Then just listen," I reply. "I can do that." I'm not so sure. "Chloe, I know how you feel," I start. "How could you?" "You're frustrated, you feel as though you had him in your arms, only to have him mercilessly ripped away,". I explain. I do know what she's going through. This is exactly how I felt when I came to own Luthorcorp. Oliver was there, in my reach, but Chloe, though unintentionally, possibly, took him, ripped him from me. "How did you know that?," she questions. "I can see it on your face." Boldfaced lie. And she could tell. "You're lying, it's something else. What happened, Tess," she interrogates, "It was Oliver, wasn't it?" Unfortunately, all this time together up in watchtower, has given her time to get to know me, a little better then I would have liked.

So I simply avoid the question, "That doesn't matter, now, we're talking about Jimmy. I want you to know we'll all do whatever's necessary to make sure you and Jimmy have the closest thing to a normal relationship you can, when you're best friend is superman," I try to comfort her.

Just at that moment, Lois and Clark walk in. I look over at Chloe and get a small smile, so I smile back, that's when I realize, we are actually friends. We've come a long way from that talk we had when we where locked in watchtower. Which wasn't exactly comforting or happy. "Hey, what could possibly be so important that you had to take us off a lead," rants the ever-enthusiastic Lois, "What's going on?" "Have a little patience, wait for Oliver," I reply, knowing it's killing her not knowing. Before she can start yelling, which she does astoundingly often, Clark says "We can wait."

"Wait for what?," Oliver announces himself.


	8. Time to Tell

Tess looks beautiful in the light of the window, but then I notice Chloe and announce myself, "Wait for what?" Tess looks over at me with those piercing green eyes that stun me every time I see them. "You," she replies simply. She looks over at Chloe, realizing that Chloe sees me staring at Tess, I tear me gaze away from her and down to me shoes.

"What's going on," Clark calmly inquires sensing the awkwardness in the room. Honestly, Chloe and I can be in the same room together without a problem, it's just when Chloe and I and Tess are in the same room that things get awkward. Tess thinks it's just general break-up awkwardness, but it's that Chloe knows how I feel about Tess, but Tess doesn't.

They share a look, it's weird having my ex-girlfriend and my whatever Tess is to me knowing each other like that. Tess starts talking," It all started three weeks ago. Chloe and Oliver had just broken up, so I was at watchtower so Chloe could have a break. There was no distress calls, so I was watching the news. Some irrelevant story was on but I noticed something odd in the crowd that was behind the news woman. I paused the tv and got up to take a closer look. It was jimmy, or at least someone who looked exactly like him. I did some research and found him last night. So, this morning I went to the address I found and convinced him to come with me to watchtower to see Chloe. Only later did he share the fact that he was brought back by Cadmus," she concludes. Chloe then picks up "We quickly get him out of watchtower, and Tess takes him home. We," she says gesturing to her and Tess, "believe it might be Lex, that there's a possibility of there being a microchip in his brain allowing Lex to see and hear everything Jimmy does."

I look at Clark and Lois. Lois looks like someone could have blown her over. Chloe, looks emotional, like she's about to cry. Clark looks as though he's making a list of all of the ways this is his fault. And, Tess,behind that incredible poker face, she looks ashamed. If only I could go over there and hold her and tell her that this isn't her fault, that she was trying to do a good thing. Clark's holding a still stunned Lois.

Tess starts talking again, "I haven't shared this theory with anyone yet, but, I don't think that it's Lex." Lois snaps back to normal, "What do you mean you don't think it's Lex?" "Especially after what happened that first year we knew you," Clark adds. "What?," I inquire. "Lex had put a microchip in my brain," I love how she just dismisses that as nothing. I decide not to inquire further. Instead I jump to Tess's defense, "Who do you think it is?" She sighs, but begins to talk. "Luthorcorp co-owned Cadmus, checkmate also part owned it." "Your thinking checkmate is watching Jimmy, thinking that he'd lead them to us," I finish for her. "Exactly," she confirms.

Clark looks at his watch, "Ok, guys, Lois and I have to go pick up my mom from the airport." That can-this-day-get-any-worse look crosses Tess's face. I shoot her a sympathetic look. I get a half smile. She told me what had happened between her and Mrs. Kent. Not only had she threatened to kill Tess, but Tess caught her telling Clark not to trust Tess. Clark and Lois leave, and Chloe mutters something about lunch and leaves, and suddenly Tess and I are alone. "You ok?," I ask. "Why wouldn't I be?," she answers, again with the blank slate face. She gets up and starts typing on one of the computers. "Mercy, I know you better then that," I tell her. She sighs, "This is my fault. If I hadn't gone looking, none of this would have happened." I knew she was going to blame herself. "Tess, you were trying to do a good thing,"

I put my hand on her shoulder. She turns around. I then realize just how close we are standing, not that I mind the close proximity.


	9. Not Again

I whisper his name. I love the way it seems to roll off of my tongue. I linger in the feeling of it. He slowly moves his hand to cup my cheek, I lean into it. His warm skin seeming to invite me closer. So, I do move closer. I hear the elevator coming so I whip around and he goes to sit on the couch faster then you could blink.

He doesn't love me, he just needs comfort. He's still hurt from Chloe. He may have broken up with her, but there's no way he got over her that quickly. There's absolutely no way.

Besides, he seems to always hold on tighter when he feels as though he's losing something. Anod I almost died last month. When Chloe left they became inseparable. Sickly so, especially for me. So when I 'died' he broke it off with her. He doesn't know what he wants, but I do, and it's not me. I can feel the tears brimming. Stop it. You can't do this to yourself, not again.

Just then the doors open. "I have lunch," Chloe announces.


	10. Red Queen

_Tess_

After I drop Chloe off I head back up to my apartment. I step off of the elevator and see who other then Martha Kent. That's just what I needed to make my day. As soon As she sees me she jumps up. Eagerness, though not surprising, was unexpected. "You can't possibly have anything to say to me," I say before she can say anything. After all that's happened it doesn't make any sense.

"Um, can I talk to you," she asks. I go over to my door and unlock it. "Come in, if you must." She carefully goes into my apartment, so different then my 40 room mansion. The compactness so unfamiliar, and yet so large compared to where I grew up. Not that any one of them ever felt like home.

"Go ahead, sit down," I command,"Why are you here?" She looks uncomfortable, like she's about to ask me to do something she knows I'm not going to want to do. "I'm assuming there's a reason you're here, and that it's not just for my company." The business side of my comes out, the side that has the uncanny ability to make almost anyone uncomfortable. She sighs, "Yes, and I don't know if it's something you're going to want to do." Bingo, I knew it. Now the only question is, what could she possibly want from me.

"Well, I'll hear you out, if I want to, I'll stop you, tell your story." Her eyes start darting around the room. She's nervous, but she starts, "I don't know if you know this or not, but I have reason to believe that checkmate is still operational. I can't take on the persona of the red queen again. At least, not fully. You know how checkmate works, you know their motives and why they do what they do. I was hoping...," she trails off. So I finish for her, "You want me to become the red queen." She simply nods. I don't know how to respond to this. I promised not to keep secrets, but if it'll help Oliver, Clark, Chloe, and Lois then I don't see why I shouldn't do this. Keeping secrets is something I'm used to. So, this isn't out of the ordinary for me.

Though, I wouldn't think I'd be at the top of her to-recruit list. Se and I never got along, obviously. "Why me?" She looks up from the floor, "You're smart, you don't trust people easily, and you're hard to track down." Liar, I don't like to be lied to, nor do I like it when people try to flatter me into doing things. And proving her wrong would be the best way to show her that. "You tracked me down," I reply. "Not because your predictable, like I said, but because I hacked the traffic cameras." I should have known. I'm not predictable, I know that. I doubted myself. Which I shouldn't have done.

But spiting won't do anything. I have a chance to protect my friends, I should take it, even if they hate me for it. Again. Also not out of the ordinary. "Ok. But, I do things my way, understood?," I accept. "Of course," she responds. Good to see she considers herself lucky to get that much.

The only question, should I tell people, anyone. My first instinct is not to, but I've thought and acted and lived like that for so long, that I don't know if I should trust my first instinct. Chloe. Chloe will understand, even if I can't trust anyone else I can trust her to keep a secret. She won't say anything. And, I need the insurance.

...

The next morning, I head over to watchtower only to see Chloe already hard at work. "How long have you been here?" She jumps. "Uh," she looks over at the clock, "three hours." I sigh. She's so tired she's jumpy, not good. Though, she'll be easier to convince. This could work in my favor.

"Chloe, I need to become the red queen."


	11. Understand

I couldn't help it, my head whips over in Tess's direction, "What?" "I need to become the red queen." That's what I thought she said. Now, why would she want to do that? That makes no sense.

"Why?" Her face is blank. So blank that even I can't read it. "It may be the only way to defeat checkmate," she replies. Okay, that explains why. But you can't kicm a player out of the game without consulting, or even telling, them first. "What about Mrs. Kent?," I counter. Because I can't read her face, unfortunately, I can't tell what she's thinking. Or not thinking is an option here. I mean she's obviously not. This is a crazy idea.

"She's what started this. It was her idea. And I know it sounds crazy but there were always three players in the war against checkmate, and they were checkmate, us, and the red queen. It might be the only way," she's pleading with me to understand. And this idea might just be crazy enough...

I do understand. I even agree with her. I shouldn't, but I do. "You're not going to tell anyone else, are you?," I question. Now, that's a nutty idea. Clark would never condone.

Tess just shakes her head, "You're the only one that I could even hope to understand." I nod my head, and I get a little half-smile. Okay, so she was thinking. "You continue to be watchtower, because it's also a fairly large blip on their radar." I give the first real smile I've had since this started. You bet it is.

"By the way, I've put Jimmy on a plane to see the best plastic surgeon out there. He'll be home and chip free by six tonight. I also took the liberty of getting reservations at the new place downtown for you two," she shoots me a self-satisfied smirk. Now, I give her the biggest smile I've ever given anyone. I owe her big-time. But, I only manage a feeble, "Thank you."


	12. Lingering Feelings

Chloe left hours ago to get ready for her date. Leaving me, trying to hack checkmate, which is not easy task, mind you. Not that I'm complaining, I did set theming, after all.

The doors open and I hear Oliver's swift, sure steps. "Hey, you do know that I know that you've been at this for hours, and I think you just might deserve a break." Ever since I'd disappeared he's been a bit more sincere. And I'm just not sure how to take how to take it. "I have something for us to eat," he coaxes. I don't know if I should say anything, but it feels like I should. All I know is that he and Chloe broke up while I was gone.

"Oliver, what's going on with you?," I ask as he's unpacking the food. "What do you mean?," he replies. I don't even know if he knows that he's acting differently, but I have, and I need answers. "You've been acting," I pause,"differently ever since I got back."I skirt my definition of different for the time being. I fix my gaze on him.

He sighs and fixes me with a hard stare. That's how I know he's about to pour his heart out. I did consider running for cover. "Honestly, Tess, I never imagined life without you. I just never thought I would have to deal with it. You're so strong that I forgot, that you can get hurt, just like the rest of us. That you're not untouchable. And I realized that too late. So, it hit me harder then I thought it would. I received the news and planned the funeral without a tear. But, later it hit me, you weren't coming back. So now I'm constantly afraid of losing you," he confesses. I didn't think he even cared about me at all. His confession shocked me more than anything anything else could have. And that's saying a lot considering what I've been through the past two days.

"There's still something you're still not telling me," I state. Frankly, I'm not sure if I want to know the rest, but I need to know. And suddenly running for cover is sounding fore and more appealing. "Tess, I know that this might be a little sudden but," he takes a deep breath,"I think I still have feelings for you. I didn't know how you felt. And, I couldn't deal with the possibility of losing you again. That included scaring you away, but I can't sit here and lie to you. What are you thinking?"

I honestly don't know. For so long I've wanted to hear hose words come out of his mouth. But, things were just starting to get back to normal. And I don't know if I want to mess that up. What about Chloe? "You and Chloe? You broke up because of me, didn't you?" He sighs, it seems like everyone has been doing that a lot lately. But he breathes out a quiet, "Yes."


	13. Give Her Time

_Oliver_

That's when Tess breaks my heart. She cracks it into so many pieces I can't count them all. She tells me she doesn't want to hurt Chloe. Which basically means I just want to be friends. Nothing more. That I don't feel the same.

"I'm just going to go then," I start to make my way toward the door. Then I stop and turn around. The look on her face hurts me. Tens of thousands of emotions cross her face, all of them indecipherable. "Tess, if you change your mind, whether it be 50 years from now or 5 minutes, I'll be here."

My heart has never hurt so much. "Oliver, I wish... I don't... I just," she stutters. Even when she's hurting me she's beautiful. I stop her, hating to see her so unsure of herself. "It's ok, Tess." It's my fault anyway. She made me the person I am today. And all I ever did was hurt her. It's understandable that she doesn't want to trust me. "If I could I would," she says. I don't believe her, though. Why would she?

I can see she's upset, I wish I couldn't see tears fill her piercing green eyes. But, I do, and they're there because of me.

"Give Chloe time, and then..." She trails off. "I understand," I tell her, and I do, I just wish I didn't have to. Tears fill my eyes as I turn away, and walk out.


	14. How We Won

_Oliver _

Later, the whole group is in watchtower. Tess and Chloe have some news. "First thing you should know is that I took on the persona of the red queen," Tess begins. This started murmurs, though none surprised. Tess and I haven't talked since that little chat we had that broke my heart into about a zillion pieces.

"Hold on, everyone, that maybe the first thing you should know. By there is some more important news you should know first. Chloe, Jimmy..." she gestures for Jimmy to come up next to Chloe and for them to take the spotlight. He walks up next to Chloe. They share a look, one that I wish Tess and I could share. They talk in unison,"We're engaged." Everyone in the room has on a broad smile, even me. Regardless of Chloe and my history, I'm happy for them.

After everyone is finished the initial congratulatory remarks, Tess takes charge again, "As you all know, Checkmate is responsible for the chip that was in Jimmy's brain. So Chloe and I devised a plan." "As I fought their firewalls full-on frontal assault. Tess aka the Red Queen was sneaking in the back way. While all their defenses were focused on me, Tess destroyed them from the inside out. We got enough proof that we had them shut down by the government," Chloe finished, still beaming.

"Great work guys, really," Clark congratulated. Everybody started talking. About an hour later Clark and Lois left. Chloe and Jimmy are on their way out, so I grab my coat and am about to leave. "Oliver, could I talk to you," said the cool, beautiful voice I love so much. I turn around and see the redhead beauty that I really, really don't want to be alone with, for fear of awkwardness, extreme awkwardness. "Uh, yeah," I stutter out, surprised, and unable to deny her anything.

Chloe and Jimmy leave, leaving us alone. "I didn't know if Chloe still had feelings for you. But she figured out what happened and convinced me that she didn't. And honestly, I was scared, I was scared of getting hurt. But I'm not anymore. And I understand the only way to have love is living with the possibility of getting hurt. And now I can live with that. That is, if you still..."she says.

My heart is flying. I race over to her and kiss her head and hold her. She wraps her arms around my neck and we stay like that, relaxed, peaceful, happy.


End file.
